TEXT 17 LAND EVALUATION FOR LAND USE PLANNING

Read the dialogue and tell what problem they are discussing:

- What is land evaluation concerned with?

- Land evaluation deals with the assessment of land performance when used for specified purposes.

- What does it involve?

- It involves the execution and interpretation of basic surveys of soils, climate, vegetation and other aspects of land. The comparisons must incorporate economic considerations within the physical, economic and social context of the area considered.

- What questions does land evaluation answer?

- Land evaluation should answer the following questions:

- How is the land currently managed and what will happen if present practices remain unchanged?

- What improvements in management practices within the present use are possible?

- What other uses of land are physically possible and economically and socially relevant?

- Which of these uses offer possibilities of sustained production or other benefits?

-What adverse effects, physical, economic or social, are associated with each use?

- What inputs are necessary to bring about the desired production and minimize the adverse effects?

- What are the benefits of each form of use?

- Are there any additional questions that should be answered?

- If the introduction of a new use involves significant change in the land itself, as for example, in irrigation schemes, then the following additional questions should be answered:

- What changes in the condition of the land are feasible and necessary and how can they be brought about?

- What non-recurrent inputs are necessary to implement these changes?

- Does evaluation determine the land use changes?

- The land evaluation does not determine the land use changes that are to be carried out; but evaluation provides data on the basis of which such decisions can be taken. The output from land evaluation normally gives information of each area of land including the beneficial and adverse consequences of land use planning.

 

I. Study the following words:

Evaluation, specified, purpose, vegetation, currently, improvements, management, sustain, benefit, involve, significant, implement, consequences, adverse, output.

 

 

II. Make up sentences with the words & word combinations given

below:

Social effects, significant, production, improvement, management practice, land evaluation, feasible, good benefits.

 

III. Complete the sentences with appropriate words from the text:

1. It involves the execution and … of basic surveys of soils, … vegetation and other aspects of land.

2. What questions does … … answer?

3. The land evaluation does not … the … use changes that are to be carried out.

4. What non-recurrent … are necessary to … these changes?

5. What are … of each form of use?

 

IV. Give your own definitions of the words:

 

benefit, evaluation, feasible, possibility, execution, performance, involve.

 

V. Render the text ‘Land evaluation for Land use planning’.